Remember that interviews go both ways. You are trying to see if this company is a place you want to spend half your waking hours. Ask the interviewer where they see themselves in 5 years. Watch their reaction closely. Do they sigh, or hesitate? You might get a telling bit of honesty out of them.
I use a similar question that I don't mind anyone else copying. I ask if they like to work there, similar to the "in 5 years" question they'll fumble with a response if it's bad because I don't think that many people ask this. Upside is that it doesn't sound like a generic question either, which the "in 5 years" one does, just a healthy curiosity.
I'm on the interview rotation and absolutely hate my company. I have a canned answer for this question and it sounds genuine.
And I give every person I interview a recommendation because I want to get out of here.
The best time to get a job is when you already have one. Interview like you don't need it.... because you don't.
Throwing your resume out a couple times a year helps you find out who and what is hiring in your sector.
A real hack I actually have is whenever I have a bad day at my current job, I apply for a job.
A real hack I actually have is whenever I have a bad day at my current job, I apply for a job.
I do that, as well. Feels better than doing nothing, and keeps my name and resume in front of potential employers.
I figure it also helps other job seekers, since if the job isn't perfect, I tell them the potential employer they're not paying enough for me to make a change. (Which I figure creates a higher salary expectation for whoever does take the job.)
At the end of the interview when they ask "do you have any other questions for us", if it went well and you decide that you want to work there, ask about what your first day looks like compared to an average day after you're settled in.
This can be a little social engineering push to have your interviewer shift their perception of you into someone that is already hired.
ALWAYS. HAVE. QUESTIONS.
Don’t be afraid to ask why the position is open. Similar to the “where the interviewer will be in 5 years”, it can be revealing. Are they expanding, was the person promoted, did they leave and under what circumstances?
Yup, I've made a habit out of doing this. I want to know if it's a new position or if I'm replacing someone. The latter isn't necessarily problematic, but I want to know if the role has been filled by someone before who had coworkers who are used to how my predecessor did things.
Play a reverse uno card and ask the interviewer how long they are working for the company,which position they started in, what they liked and disliked about the company and what was the last thing that made them smile while at work.
Seriously. Do it.
Both interviewers do work in the same position they started in after 5 years? Looks like there is not much room for development. They are all there for less than 2 years? When the company is not a startup it's likely staff retention is bad. If both interviewers get nervous about the "like/dislike" question and only name cliché stuff: They might be afraid that they say something the other will report to someone.
And if they refuse to answer these questions totally? Well. Fuck their company culture, obviously.
Similarly, I’m a fan of the question “what’s the biggest change you’ve seen in [company] since you’ve worked here?” If they can’t think of anything, it’s likely your day-to-day work is going to be the exact same thing every day for years on end.
Similarly what are common challenges and some uncommon ones?
A job interview is a conversation, not an interrogation.
Ask as many questions as your potential future employer does, and don't put yourself below them.
You are equals negotiating whether you want to enter into a business partnership.This achieves several things:
- First, you learn more about what working with them will be like, when you actually ask.
- Second, if they react negatively and try to establish a position of dominance over you, well then you know that they're like that.
- Third, it's a good way to fight stage fright and feelings of insecurity. This is not a test you pass or fail. Or rather, the other party is equally likely to fail your expectations.
- Lastly, and most importantly, it communicates an air of confidence, which actually makes it much more likely you'll land the job if you want it.
Being timid and submissive makes you look desperate, which is not a good look, and will likely lead to a lower salary as well.
I agree with most of this. I disagree with the confidence statement. Humility and curiosity will get you further than blind confidence. When you don’t know something, say so and then ask questions. There is no worse interview than someone being brazenly wrong.
If you don't want the job but have to attend the interview for benefits or whatever, wear socks and sandals.
Definitely won't get the job and you can keep claiming.
For bonus points wear them on your head.
Unless the employer is German
Shortly before the interview, write out the details of a time you overcame a problem or did something particularly competent. What you did, how you overcame, the effect it had, the recognition you got.
Not for use in the interview, just to get yourself in a good headspace for displaying your strengths.
My best interviews were the two where I was calm, relaxed, and myself. And I was offered the job each time.
Granted these interviews were for a better job than the one I had, but, at the time, I had a pretty good job and didn’t technically need the one I was interviewing for. That allowed me to be more relaxed, I made a few well-placed jokes, and was just myself, which is ultimately who you want them to hire anyway - the person you really are, not some stuffed shirt, stiff version of you.
I’ve been interviewing folks for an internship position lately. These have been remote interviews. Six things that have made candidates stand out to me.
- Get your camera angle straight. Don’t slouch in the corner. I need professionals so I need you to look like one.
- Hide the weird shit in your backgrounds, unless it’s something you want to talk about
- Have presence / wow factor. I’m interviewing for a position that will sometimes talk to customers. I’m your customer at the moment and I really do want to buy what you’re selling, and will absolutely do so if you wow me.
- Read the job description, I put a lot of effort into that thing (I know, not every company does). Get to know the JD and company website. I had a marketing guy apply and he got through the resume review because he had an lot experience in my industry. Turns out he didn’t and I read right through it. Don’t waste my and your time, neither of us have enough of it on this planet as is.
- Have hobbies, extracurriculars. I get tired of asking the same boring questions to everyone so I may ask you about them. I’m in no way religious but surprisingly, I’ve now had two candidates talk to me about how they’re a leader in their church and that they’re leading groups or projects there. It got them both to the next round. I want to hire a colleague not a robot.
- Have writing and presentation samples prepared. I want to see how you document things I want to see the work you’re proud of. I need dynamism and a diverse team, not all of us need to be customer facing rockstars. A beautiful presentation absolutely can and has won me over on candidates that did not have the interview presence.
Some don’ts
- Don’t act aloof. I’m giving you my attention and I need the same from you.
- Don’t be cocky. I want confidence but not cockiness, as cockiness would likely have my clients calling me telling me to get you off their projects.
- Don’t ask me to rate how well you did at the end of the interview. That’s what practice interviews are for.
Research the shit out of the company and (if possible) your interview board, ask informed questions, and approach the interview as a two way street: You are interviewing them/the company every bit as much as they are interviewing you.
Make sure you actually want to work at this place because you'll probably be spending at least 40 hours of your life there every week.
99% of jobs I applied to had no reply. Even when I would follow up several times they don’t answer.
One single job had an interview and I had a migraine and failed.
Basically every job I had was being at the right place at the right time and talking to the right people. Just chatting and saying I did X, Y, and Z. They come back with want to work for us? You start Monday.
The job market is crazy.
makes you wonder how anyone can get a job at all
If they ask about your weaknesses or growth areas, I've said something like this: "I like to ask questions about how my work fits into the bigger picture. Sometimes this can seem like I don't want to do the work, but I just want to make sure I understand it first." It's a strength disguised as a weakness and I think I've gotten a good response to it.
Yeah, the "weakness" question is crappy. "Growth Area" is a better phrasing. People start to say things like "I talk too much" "I have poor communication" or try to spin it; "I'm so attentive to details, sometimes I have trouble with time management". None of that is helping you.
The best way to answer is talk about something job related you're looking to improve at the job.
Maybe you're interviewing at a bakery. Pick something off the "menu" and say something like I've never had the opportunity to learn how to make a traditional baguette or something. You want it to be specific enough to not look stupid, you don't want to apply to a bakery and say I've never baked cookies from skratch (unless its as an entry level assistant or something)
If I were asking the question, I'd simply say "what are you looking forward to learning at the job?" It accomplishes a few things A) tells the applicant the company is probably invested in their growth B) If the applicant is selected, it gives some insight into where to start the applicants training C) if the applicant says "I dunno I know the job already" it shows the applicant isn't interested in learning.
Thank you! I'm going to start using growth area, or a variation of it.
The “weakness” question is nothing more than an opportunity to see that you have humility and introspection. Pick anecdotes that show off those traits.
Be open, honest, and sincere. You don't want to work at a place that would not take you as you are. Unless you really need the cash but you pretty much are going to have to continue to look for work with a job like that.
Remember back in school there would always be that one kid who was able to get the teacher talking and going off topic so the class had to do less work?
Basically learn to do that in your interviews. If you're lucky enough to know the name of your interviewer beforehand, stalk their LinkedIn and try and find something they're interested in. People love talking about themselves. If you can manage to get your interviewer rambling about something they like, they will come away feeling it was a good interview, and you'll probably learn a hell of a lot more about what the job is actually like on a day to day basis.
I've found that the smaller the company, the higher the success rate doing something like this. Larger companies tend to have a more rigid interview structure or have multiple interviewers at once.
If you suck at interviews cheat, or get lucky.
I flunked the interview for the job I wanted, did well in an interview for a different position at the same company, new boss loved me and I have no clue why. She got fired the weekend before I started and I got moved into an even better job than I'd originally wanted.
For my only other interview ever, I got in because I literally just googled answers to the coding test on my phone just out of view of the camera, not that they were watching anyway. I'm glad I did too, that company was an unethical hell hole and it's tragic that it hasn't folded. I left after a couple of months and got abother job with the company from the first paragraph, no interview at all, and significantly better pay (more than double lol).
I seriously have no clue how people get jobs the normal way. I've tried, I've been trying for years and can't get another interview.
This can backfire if the decision to select a candidate is too far away from your interview. If they did all the talking, then they will have nothing to remember you by.
When they ask if you can/want to do a type of work and the simple answer is ‘No’, never directly say no but instead talk around your limitations in as positive a way you can.
Know your worth. Keep it real, but know exactly what you bring to the table as an employee and how much that’s worth. If you don’t know, figure it out.
When interviewing, pay attention to any point of conversation that implies that the role is less than your worth and ask questions. You may dodge a huge bullet.
